Implementation and outcomes of a statewide ECHO tele‐mentoring program to enhance dementia care in primary care settings: The Tennessee Dementia ECHO Program
Raymond R. Romano, Dominic Roby, Kallol Bhattacharyya, Ashish Joshi, Berneet Kaur, Kristina Wick, Anne Gifford, James Eaton, Daniel Ibarra‐Scurr, Katherine GiffordAbstract
BACKGROUND
Primary care clinicians play a leading role in dementia care but often report limited training and confidence, particularly in rural settings. Scalable strategies are needed to strengthen workforce capacity.
METHODS
We conducted a pre/post mixed‐methods evaluation of the Tennessee Dementia Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) program, a statewide tele‐mentoring initiative. Implementation outcomes included reach, adoption, and satisfaction. Effectiveness outcomes included changes in clinician confidence, knowledge, and self‐reported skills assessed via session‐specific surveys. Analyses included descriptive changes and effect sizes.
RESULTS
A total of 641 learners registered, with 173 attending at least one session and 97 attending more than one session. Satisfaction was high (median 96/100). Matched session‐specific confidence scores increased after participation. Knowledge outcomes varied across sessions and content domains, with selected item‐level improvements observed.
DISCUSSION
A statewide ECHO model was feasible and well accepted and was associated with meaningful short‐term improvements in clinician confidence. Knowledge findings were mixed and suggested possible learning in selected domains. These findings support tele‐mentoring as a scalable approach to strengthening dementia care capacity.